Abstract
Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are relevant optical sources for free-space communication because they can emit in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) domain, i.e. in the 8-12 µm region. The advantage of this optical domain is that it combines a high atmosphere transmission<sup>1</sup> with a reduced distortion for propagating beams,<sup>2</sup> thus the superiority of LWIR lasers in comparison with existing near-infrared systems is very dependent on link availability.<sup>3</sup> Furthermore, QCLs are characterized by the absence of relaxation oscillation resonance.<sup>4 </sup>This peculiarity could imply a very large modulation bandwidth, even if QCL structures still need to be optimized to avoid parasitic effects.<sup>5</sup> Recent experimental efforts have highlighted the potential of QCL-based free-space communication systems<sup>6–8</sup> and the current 4 Gbits/s record rate is expected to be outperformed in the near future with bandwidth-enhanced structures.<sup>9</sup> This work describes a free-space live video broadcasting with a room-temperature QCL emitting at 8.1 µm. The video file is encoded in uncompressed high-definition format (1280 pixels x 720 pixels) and this corresponds to a data rate of 1.485 Gbits/s with on-off keying scheme. This high-speed electrical signal is directly injected in the QCL via the AC port of a bias tee. The modulated optical signal from the QCL is retrieved with a Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride detector and the resulting electrical signal is sent to a TV monitor where the video can be watched in live. The current findings demonstrate the versatility of a communication system with QCLs and this paves the way for real-field applications
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